Creeper for boots or shoes



(No Model.)

L. O. HOFFMEISTE'R.

GREEPER FOR-BOOTS 0R SHOES.

Patented Jan. 124, 188 6.

* FIGJ,

N. PETERS Plmm-Llmo m her, Washington, D. Cv

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC LOUIS O. HOFFMEISTER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

OREEPER FOR BOOTS OR SHOES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 334,381,6ated January 12, 1886.

Application filed April 13,1885. Serial No. 162,129. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LoUIs C. HOFFMEISIER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Creepers for Boots and Shoes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of a certain construction of or attachment to the heel or sole of a boot or shoe, with the object of affording the wearer a firm foothold upon slippery sidewalks or street-pavements.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view, partly in section, of a shoe the heel of which is constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2, an inverted perspective view of the retainer with which said heel is provided; Fig. 3, a view showing another form of retainer and a filling plate therefor, and Fig. 4 a view of a rubber shoe having the improved retainer formed on both sole and heel.

My invention consists, essentially, in forming in the 'sole or heel of a boot orshoe a chamber open in front and-having a wall presenting an abrupt shoulder at the rear, and preferably tapered from front to rear. I have found thata chamber of this character in the sole or heel of a boot 0r shoe will afford a firm foothold for the wearer of the boot or shoe, even when the pavements are covered with snow or ice, the abrupt shoulder at the rear serving, by contact with slight projections on the surface of the sidewalk or pavement, to prevent slipping, and the open front of the chamber preventing filling 'up or clogging of the same and consequent interference with the proper action of the abrupt shoulder.

In the case of rubber boots or overshoes the chamber may be formed in the sole or heel by properly molding the same in the manufacture of the boot or shoe, as shown in Fig. 4; but the best plan in most cases is to form the chamber by attaching to the ordinary sole or heel a tapered segmental rib, a, so shaped in cross-section as to present the desired abrupt shoulder at the rear. The rib should be made of rubber, leather, or other elastic or semi-elastic material, so as to provide a yielding support, and it may be cemented to the heel or sole or secured thereto by pegs or nails, the preferable plan being to' form the rib around the edge of a sheet or plate, I), as shown in Fig. 2, as this plate can be cemented to the heel or sole of the boot or shoe so as to firmly connect the rib thereto.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a rib secured to'the heel by tacks or nails, and have also shown a filling-piece, d, which is intended to close the chamber when it is not desired to use the retainer; or the chamber may, if desired, be filled with cement. Besides serving as a retainer; the rib a prevents wear of the heel proper of the boot or shoe. This is an important feature, especially in rubber overshoes, in which the rear edge of the heel is generally worn through long before any other portion of the shoe.

In the patent of A. B. Wilton, No. 24,829301Zf6 i May 31, 1859, is shown a boot or shoe heel having therein a concave recess with contracted inlet or groove extending to the front of the heel; but this device differs in several very material respects from that forming the sub- In the first place the V ject of my invention. rib a which I use presents an abrupt shoulder,

as, to catch upon projections on the surface of the sidewalk, so as to be retained thereby, whereas the heel shown in Wiltons patent presents an inclined shoulder, which would readily slip over such projections, and thus defeat the object of my invention. Moreover, the opening in the front of the heel shown in the said patent is of contracted width, so that it will not prevent the packing of snow, ice, or dirt in the recess of the heel, and the limited width of the entrance to the recess interferes with the proper performance of the duties of the latter.

The chamber in my improved heel is open 0 at the front to its full width, so that snow or ice will not become packed in said chamber, nor is the proper engagement of the abrupt rear wall of the chamber with projections on the surface of the sidewalk in any way inter- 5 fered with. The rib around the chamber of my improved heel, moreover, is tapered from front to rear, whereas the shoe-heel shown in the Wilton patent is practically of uniform thickness at front and rear.

I am aware that it is common to apply to the heels of boots and shoes segmental or horseshoe-shaped plates of metal to serve as creepers; but such plates are of very little account, as they soon become worn smooth, so as to readily slip upon the ice, and must, on account -of their weight, be made comparatively thin, whereas an elastic rib such as I 5 use is always in condition to serve as a retainer, and can be made as thick as desired. WVithout claiming broadly, therefore, a recessed heel for boots or shoes, or a segmental retaining-rib,

10 I claim as my invention-- 1. A boot or shoe having in the sole or heel a chamber open at the front and having a wall, a, of elastic material presenting an abrupt retaining-shoulder, x, at the rear of the 15 chamber, as set forth.

LOUIS G. HOFFMEISTER.

\Vitnesses:

HENRY BOSSERT, HARRY SMITH. 

